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Here Comes the Grump is a De Patie Freleng Enterprises Saturday-Morning Cartoon that ran in 1969/70 on NBC. Princess Dawn, her Non-Human Sidekick Bip, and ordinary Earth teenager Terry Dexter are being chased by the villainous Grump and his klutzy Dragon. Each episode takes them to a new locale, where the heroes enlist the aid of the locals to try and get The Grump off their trail and maybe learn where to find the magical crystal key that will lift the Grump's spell of gloom from Princess Dawn's kingdom.

The series has No Ending, though see the note below as to how rumor has it it was supposed to end.

A Mexican-British CGI movie based on the series was released in the year 2018, under the name A Wizard's Tale.

Not to be confused with the Adam Ant song.


Here Comes the Grump provides examples of:

  • Adventure Towns
  • The Alleged Steed: Grump's dragon, but only when it's funny.
  • Amusing Injuries: The Grump is a frequent victim.
  • Ash Face: Happens to Grump in just about every episode. Typically caused by the dragon's Sneezes of Doom.
  • Bizarre Alien Biology: Bip turns around by pulling in his head and tail, then popping them out again on the opposite sides. He can also detach his nose like a remote probe; occasionally it even goes walkabout on its own!
  • Bottomless Magazines: Grump's bow appears to have a bottomless quiver.
  • Butt-Monkey: The Grump, and how! Fitting, since he's an Expy of Yosemite Sam.
  • Cool Airship: The heroes travel around in a very unusual hot air balloon, reminiscent of the B-Liner from In Search of the Most Amazing Thing, or any one of a number of Jules Verne Balloonacies. Given as a reward by the Bloonies for winning "The Bloonywoonie Battle" against the Grump.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle: "The Bloonywoonie Battle". The Bloonies attack the Grump with toy popguns. He responds with arrows. Needless to say, even with Terry and Dawn constantly patching and re-inflating the soldiers, it's no contest until the protagonists get the bright idea to steal the Grump's quiver.
  • Damsel in Distress: Princess Dawn, when captured.
  • Dub Name Change: Terry was renamed ‘Ronnie’ in the Hebrew dub.
  • "Everybody Laughs" Ending: Once per Episode.
  • Expository Theme Tune:
    In a magic place
    There's a princess caught in a chase
    But no matter how fast she goes, right on her heels and toes
    Here comes the Grump! Here comes the Grump! Here comes the Grump!
  • Expy: The Grump is heavily based on Yosemite Sam, another Friz Freleng character. The dragon is based on Sam's dragon from "Knighty Knight Bugs".
    • The Shushers are quite obviously a Lawyer-Friendly Cameo of The Smurfs, especially if you're familiar with their pre-television incarnations (e.g. pointed hats); indeed, the entire episode "The Grump Meets the Grouch-Grooch" is based on an old Peyo Smurf comic arc.
    • A couple of things look like they come straight out of Oz; Bip looks first cousin to Oz's Wogglebug, and the Bloonies closely resemble the Loons of Oz (with the same Weaksauce Weakness, even!).
  • Here We Go Again!: An atypical case in that the Grump usually catches up with our heroes again at the beginning of the episode, rather than the end.
  • Ironic Echo Cut: From "The Lemonade Sea":
    Princess Dawn: Do you suppose we've given Grump the slip?
    (cut to Grump)
    Grump: You will never give Grump the slip!
  • Kick the Dragon: The Grump literally can't go five minutes without cussing out his poor dragon, usually over something he has no control over.
  • Magnetic Hero: The protagonists often seek aid and shelter from the new characters they meet in each episode, and seldom fail to get anything but an open-armed welcome.
  • Motormouth: The Blabbermouth from "The Blabbermouth of Echo Island".
  • No Ending: Sadly, our heroes never do reach the Cave of the Whispering Orchids, or recover the Crystal Key.note 
  • Non-Human Sidekick: Bip.
  • Parody Episode: "With Malice in Blunderland"
  • Pepper Sneeze: Used to provoke the dragon's explosive allergies. One episode even has a forest of pepper trees that grow pepper-shakers which sprinkle pepper on the dragon.
  • Planet of Hats: There's a town where everyone sleeps all day, a town where everyone has wheels, and many more.
  • Ridiculously Small Wings: The Dragon has wings too small for his plump body, but they support his weight and Grump's on the air.
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: Princess Dawn and her search for the Crystal Key.
  • Rump Roast: The Grump gets this treatment a couple of times; for example, in the beginning of "The Bloonywoonie Battle".
  • Running Gag: The dragon sneezing on the Grump.
  • Shark Pool: In "The Eenie Meenie Miners," Grump tries to trick the heroes into falling into a pit of crocodiles. Naturally, he ends up falling into the pit himself.
  • Skintone Sclerae: Played straight with Terry and Princess Dawn but averted with Bip, Grump, his dragon and most other characters.
  • Sneeze of Doom: The dragon's sneezes are a frequent source of Amusing Injuries for the Grump.
  • Status Quo Is God: Every time, they escape the Grump, but at the beginning of the next episode, the Grump's caught up to them yet again.
  • Stern Chase: With the Grump trying to put them out of action to reach the Crystal Key first.
  • Sugar Bowl: Dawn's kingdom is a pretty lighthearted and generally gentle place, despite the Grump.
  • Team Pet: Bip, in all his Oz-like weirdness.
  • Through a Face Full of Fur: The Grump and his dragon in the episode, "The Lemonade Sea". When their submarine periscope is corked, they're forced to turn back and resurface from the sea. Due to the lack of oxygen, the Grump is blue-faced and the dragon is blue all over, as they try to regain their breaths.
    • Biff in "Sugar and Spite". He gets all pink-faced after his detached nose receives a kiss sent by one of the Valentinian hearts.
    • The Grump in "The Wily Wheelies". He gets red-faced with anger after falling in and emerging from a manhole, as another one of his plans failed before he's cooled off by a rolling hydrant.
  • Title Drop: Right in the opening theme (and often to open the episodes as well).
  • Title Theme Tune: Here comes the Grump!
  • Trapped in Another World: Terry comes from Earth, which allows him to play The Watson for Princess Dawn to explain some aspect of the magical world neither he nor the audience would be familiar with.
  • "The Villain Sucks" Song: The end credits tune is the same song as the opening tune, but with different lyrics. Where the opening tune was an Expository Theme Tune introducing the characters and situation, the ending tune is just about the Grump and how he just won't leave you alone.
    Don't just sit and rest
    Cause you're really not rid of that pest
    If you think that you're safe and sound, take a good look around
    Here comes the Grump! Here comes the Grump! Here comes the Grump!
  • Voice Changeling: The Blabbermouth of Echo Island uses this trick to play distracting pranks on the Grump and his dragon.
  • Walking the Earth: Walking Princess Dawn's Kingdom: Rather like a low-key version of The Dark Crystal, the series revolves around this.
  • Wraparound Background: The usual for 60s-70s animation.

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